(As always, before you leave, please post a review to see how I'm doing and what I could make better!)
I must say, it was quite a surprise on my end to be up and running on another story so soon after the last one. Even though my pace writing this first installment of a new series was somewhat tempered by my work habits (and partial distraction from Watch Dogs and what not…) I think that I managed to get a good start on this next project.
I eventually decided to just lump all of the parts of the Rage Inherent series into just one big story but have them separated and treat the whole thing as a collection of sorts. Maybe then I'll finally get my six figure story… (Now I'll have to tweak the title, tags, and synopsis…joy…)
For those of you unfamiliar with my methodology (and clunky writing…to which I thank you for sticking through) I usually take the time after I finish a story to go back and reflect on it and explain my reasoning behind my decisions and what I favored. I also like to take the opportunity to point out scenes where I think a rousing orchestral score would suffice as I like to approach my ideas with a cinematic flair. Listening to music usually gives me the motivation to churn out a chapter.
The initial idea for this actually came to me a few years ago, when I didn't have the motivation to write anything. Once I had started, I wanted to see how the concept of Shepard being a robot would actually pan out. Actually, my first draft was to have someone else as a cyborg character, not Shepard. But ever since I got all OC'd out on the first trilogy I wrote, I realized that I had had enough writing those types of characters. So I rewrote the part for Shepard and tweaked the script somewhat to reflect his mannerisms.
I was going to originally call this story Blood and Metal but I thought that it seemed a bit too…cliché. I mean, it sounded mean and intense but it was just so uninspired. Just a little trivia there for you.
Prologue:
I wanted to keep this story relatively grounded in Mass Effect's established universe so I think it worked to my favor when the option to romance Tali came into play in the second game (yes…this will eventually get to be a Tali romance…that wasn't obvious?) which warranted me starting at the beginning of ME2. There were some tweaks here and there but mostly it was scripted exactly the same.
One thing of which I'll try to do in the future is to subtly adjust each line of dialogue that is in the games so the reader has a different experience through it all. I'm not trying to make this a novelization and this will give me some fun in trying to see if I can pick better lines for the characters to say (fat chance there, mate!)
Playlist:
Normandy Lost: "Gravity" by Kazuma Jinnouchi from the VG Halo 4. I'm trying to go for an orchestral sound accompanied by harsh electronics to sell the idea of a space opera. There's no wonderment here and this first installment will be defined by a driving force rather than majesty.
Titles: "Godzilla!" by Alexandre Desplat from the film Godzilla. Case in point, the ferocity of this cue is exactly the type of tone that personifies Shepard very well here.
Chapter 1:
Yep…this is where I knew I was going to lose a significant reader base.
You can chalk up my decision of killing off Miranda and Jacob in this chapter to be just general disinterest. I doubt anyone would complain about the latter but there are a horde of rabid Miranda fans out there that would certainly like to flay me alive for what I did for her. I'm sorry, but I never liked her as a character. She served her purpose in the games but was merely just a sex object in my eyes. Thank you, but no. Her death did serve a large purpose in that it helped in distancing this story from the games in that it told the readers that all bets were off and that anything could happen.
In regards to Shepard being in a cybernetic body, I did receive a bunch of warm support for the concept so that means I must have done something right. However, in future installments I believe I'm going to downplay that aspect a little because I can only do so much describing that I'll start to repeat myself if I try for more development. It will still be a major theme, it just won't be brought up as much. One can only tolerate so much self-loathing…
I put the mock dedication at the end of this chapter as both a reminder and a warning. The unfortunate critic did everything wrong with how the review system works in this regard. Not only did he not offer any constructive criticism to how I could correct anything, he was also quite rude and used rather abrasive language to accentuate his displeasure. Those traits are not endearing to anyone on this site and people like those only draw out the mocking edge in me. (Especially since that young man's writing style was absolutely atrocious…in my opinion, not that it matters much)
Playlist:
Oh, You're Awake: "Philadelphia" by Marco Beltrami from the movie World War Z. I'm deliberately avoiding thematic constructs in favor of a texture-based approach. Just gathering up more fuel to feed the fire.
Biotic Impulse: "Silhouette" by Thomas Newman from the film Skyfall. Percussion to underline the fight between Shepard and Miranda.
Chapter 2:
I believe some of my major problems in this story come from my use of dialogue. In intense scenes like this, I find it all to be a bit clunky and will be targeted immensely once I go back and apply corrections. They work adequately as is but they could be much better.
The introduction of Rukin as a major character was my only OC contribution to this as I wanted to focus on a new villain rather than established ones. There was an overall purpose to Rukin being in this story but I'm not sure how much I gave away with his placement in the story (spoiler alert!) As to his development, I don't think I completely dropped the ball on his character but…(there's always a but) he was maybe a little boring. I don't know, I could be too harsh on myself but then again, no one has called me out on that aspect yet…
Playlist:
Hello There: "Alert Theme" by Harry Gregson-Williams and Ludvig Forssell from the VG Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Electronic rhythms for a smooth approach to action.
Chapter 3:
As a transitional chapter, I don't really have many qualms about this one because it actually followed my initial draft scene for scene. Hero goes to Aria, Tali talks to her deadbeat dad, and Cerberus continues plotting.
My reasoning for positioning the POV on Cerberus in these scenes were to introduce the characters and the actual plan of attack on the Rayya. I didn't want that scene to just jump out at the reader so I had to introduce the game plan naturally as it came up in conversation. It helps with the transition and makes things less abrupt so that was completely unavoidable from my stance.
Chapter 4:
Interestingly, I never intended for Garrus to play such a pronounced role in this story until a couple chapters in. It soon occurred to me that he's such an indispensable character that I can't just tease him for a single chapter and then just walk away. It would make more sense for the loyal turian to follow his friend anywhere he goes and so I wrote him in just like that.
I guess the saying is true: "There's no Shepard without Vakarian."
But having Garrus there also helped me with a solution to a problem. Shepard would naturally continue to have these rebellious thoughts in his head about his career goals and refusal to help the galaxy based on his skewed perceptions unless he had a voice of reason there to calm him. Joker would never be that person as it is not in his character to have a deep conversation like that. Garrus was Shepard's best friend so the role of existential conversationalist passed to him. Because Garrus hadn't found his jaded side of war yet through the betrayal and execution of his team, he still clings to the teachings that Shepard guided him on in the past game. This is why his role in playing the teacher now seems like a natural evolution and a more mature aspect to his character as a whole.
Playlist:
Rumble at the Docks: "Leaving the Safe House" by Marco Beltrami from the film A Good Day to Die Hard.
Chapter 5:
Portraying Shepard's demonic side was rather fun to write, despite the fact that it was done rather sparingly. There is a dark side to this part, the fact that the character has now essentially become an unstoppable killing machine, there's no real tension. I would throw in a few twists to help with that part (and will address that in later installments) but a few developmental scenes with his invulnerability work fine.
The torture scene might have veered a little on the exploitational side but there was a method to my madness. If you consider the fact that no large organization is never steadfast in its beliefs, then it's perfectly reasonable to assume that some members may exhibit some hypocritical tendencies that could be open for interpretation. Disregarding my pitiful excuse, the chilling act that preceded the torture entirely was a good catalyst to awaken Shepard's bloodlust and merciless attack on the one soldier. It had to be toned down in the end because some of the scenes got exceedingly violent to the point where it was just not gratifying anymore. Even I have limits, people.
Playlist:
Knock, Knock: "Lemurian Star" by Henry Jackman from the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Interrogation: "The March" by Junkie XL from the film Divergence. I chose this piece for the torture scene because of its eeriness and savage intensity to accompany Shepard's churning emotions that were boiling over.
Chapter 6:
It was the right time to have a Tali-centered chapter in this story and showing her reactions during the initial invasion of the Rayya was a good place to start. By focusing on her in small portions earlier, her character was not forced upon the audience suddenly and uncomfortably. We also got to see her act in a battle situation and not cower in the corner.
If you consider the fact that Rael'Zorah died in a situation that was unlike Tali's loyalty mission in ME2, then you'd think that this would have repercussions on the plot, hmm? (Then again, I know how the story ends and you don't.)
Playlist:
Engine Room: "The Hunt" by John Williams from the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Drums and primal percussion may give the stereotypical edge but it still sounds cool.
Back to the Bridge (Tali's Theme): "Red Warrior" by Hans Zimmer from the film The Last Samurai. Despite it being a well-known theme, I think it works well when you combine it with Tali as a sort of longing, romantic theme.
Chapter 7:
I really do like writing combat but it sometimes gets a bit tedious. I have to constantly fight and revise my work as I have a horrible tendency to repeat myself (again, not that good of a writer).
I had built up to the Rosun fight so that Shepard would have a reason to show off his synthetic body to Tali by clashing in the incinerator. That was always going to happen and I think my reasoning worked rather well.
Playlist:
Veritas Unloaded: "Taking a Stand" by Henry Jackman from the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Shepard gets a more heroic presence as his goals get a little more chivalrous by doing what else? Killing Cerberus troops.
Inferno (Shepard's Theme): "Escape Theme" by Harry Gregson-Williams and Ludvig Forssell from the VG Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. A particularly good track to accompany the fight with Rosun.
Chapter 8:
I love the intensity that the first scene offers. I like the fact that Shepard's plan to keep Tali in the dark has completely gone out the window and that he has to finally admit to her the truth in a heated scenario because he could no longer hold himself back at that point. It also gave Tali the courage to help out her commander in that one critical moment, sacrificing her life for his (even though she would survive).
(I did try my damndest to have the scene after Tali's visor gets shattered where Shepard goes berserk to have it seem to be in slow-motion, taking inspiration from action movies, no less).
I saved the best fight scene for last with Rukin emerging as a formidable opponent for Shepard. Sword fights, as I have stated previously, are my favorite and I will put them in a story any way I can. In trying not to be cliché, I did implement some unconventional techniques so that it could heighten the dramatic and vivid nature of the fight itself.
Playlist:
I Am Shepard: "Yoda Strikes Back" by John Williams from the film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The brass swell I think resonates perfectly with the action that both Tali and Shepard go through when both of them are captured and fight their way out.
Rukin Meets Shepard: "Watch the World Burn" by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard from the film The Dark Knight.
Clash of Swords: "Tornado" by Hans Zimmer from the film Man of Steel.
Epilogue:
You now have your setup for the next installment. Any guesses on where it might lead?
Playlist:
Closing: "Staff Roll" by Jamie Christopherson from the VG Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
In all honesty, my initial plan was to only write two of these stories pertaining to the situation at hand. The reasoning behind that was because I didn't want to rewrite the ending to ME3 as I had already done that in a previous story. I was hesitant about tackling ME3 as a whole because I didn't know if I could top the ending that I had written for Peroration.
Fortunately, during the production of Metal, I did eventually come up with an ending that I believe to be perfect in tone with this series that doesn't overlap with my previous works in any way. Rather than rewrite it, I've decided to sidestep the issue entirely. What that means is that this whole series will have a cohesive flow to it that will be concluded in a natural manner that will strive to bring satisfaction to the readers.
Everything has been outlined (a requirement before I even started this one) and there is no reason why I should stop now. There will be several twists to this story but nothing that would be considered lore-breaking. The ability to alter aspects of the ME universe in a believable way is what gives it quite the appeal for FF writers because they have so many possibly avenues that they can pursue with their work. They can practically write anything thanks to the customizable nature of the characters and setting. I aim to have the Rage Inherent series be my departing piece before I place myself on hiatus due to a lack of further ideas (and to the fact that I will most certainly be burned out after writing this damn thing, which is a tad more than a quarter done, by my calculations). With this done, there is little more I can come up with but don't assume that I'll be gone for good.
Who knows, with ME4 on the way that opens up a wealth of new ideas. You might just see me return then.
Please keep reading and reviewing and I'll be back in a few days when I start writing the next part, Flesh!